*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
Under the vast blue sky, Aogashima bore witness to the intense battle between two Campiones. The only sounds were the collisions of their bodies and the howling wind, carrying shockwaves from every attack they unleashed.
*WHOOSH!*
Ren dashed forward with incredible speed, shattering the ground beneath him with the force of his steps. In a fraction of a second, he was in front of Godou, unleashing a straight punch aimed at his opponent's face.
*SHUA!*
Godou, relying on his sharp instincts, tilted his head slightly to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. However, the air pressure from Ren's fist created a powerful shockwave, tearing apart the ground and uprooting trees behind him.
*BAM!*
Without pause, Godou raised his knee, targeting Ren's abdomen. But Ren, with his heightened reflexes, deflected the attack with his elbow before countering with a spinning kick that sliced through the air.
*BAM!*
The kick struck Godou's raised arm, which he used to block. The impact sounded like a cannon blast, echoing across the island and creating a shockwave that shattered rocks around them. Godou was sent flying backward, his body skidding across the ground, carving a trench dozens of meters long before he finally dug his feet into the ground to stop his momentum.
The animals inhabiting Aogashima felt the pressure of this battle. Land creatures, from reptiles to small mammals, hid in their nests, trembling in fear. Meanwhile, birds nesting in the trees frantically flapped their wings, scattering away from the island that had now become a battlefield.
*WHOOSH!*
Ren gave Godou no time to catch his breath. With a single leap, he appeared above Godou, his body spinning in the air before diving down like a falling meteor.
Quickly reading the trajectory of the attack, Godou jumped to the side. However, Ren's strike had already hit the ground first.
*BOOM!!!*
The impact created a massive crater in the ground, shaking the entire island. Trees around the area were uprooted, and a storm of dust and debris scattered in all directions.
*BUZZ!*
*WHOOSH!*
Godou, standing not far from the impact point, had to cross his arms to shield his face from the flying debris. But in the midst of the dust storm, Ren's figure shot toward him again—leaving no room for respite.
*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
Without words, without complex strategies—just a duel between two monsters relying on their pure strength to defeat each other.
However, in the midst of the tense atmosphere, Ren suddenly stopped his assault.
Godou, who had been preparing to anticipate the next strike, frowned. "Why did you stop?"
Straightening his back, Ren brushed off the dust on his shoulders before looking at Godou with a relaxed expression.
"Five minutes have passed. It's time to use our Divine Authorities."
"Damn, I forgot about that..." Godou had been too immersed in the thrill of the battle, forgetting their initial agreement.
But before Godou could lament his oversight any longer, Ren began to raise his hand. A golden aura started swirling around him, forming a shimmering vortex of energy. With a firm voice, he chanted an incantation.
"I, who have seized the sunlight, the archer who struck down the sky god! Appear, bow of solar majesty!"
As the incantation ended, a divine bow materialized in his grasp.
Raising the bow, Ren stared straight at Godou. "Get serious, Godou, or you might die."
After giving that warning, he began gathering magical energy, creating a glowing arrow at his fingertips. The light from the arrow was so intense that the air around them vibrated from the energy pressure.
In an instant, Ren drew the bowstring.
Then—
*WHOOSH!*
The arrow was released.
*BOOM!*
The air trembled violently, and the sound of a sonic boom echoed as the projectile shot past the speed of sound. Moving like a falling meteor, the arrow pierced through the atmosphere in a straight line, creating a shockwave that split the ground beneath it.
Godou's pupils contracted sharply. With his sharp instincts, he tried to dodge, but it was too late.
*Pu-chi!*
The arrow struck Godou's shoulder, piercing through flesh and bone without mercy.
*FWOOSH!*
*BANG!*
His body was sent flying like a projectile, soaring through the air before crashing hard into the ground, skidding for hundreds of meters. The ground he passed over was torn apart, leaving a long trench as a testament to the sheer power of the attack.
"Hisss... No matter how many times, I never get used to this pain."
Slowly getting up, Godou gritted his teeth as the pain from the gaping wound in his shoulder spread throughout his body. The wound was gruesome and terrifying.
Without wasting time, he immediately activated his Divine Authority: The Ten Incarnations – Ram. As magical energy flowed through his body, the wound on his shoulder began to heal rapidly. Torn flesh reconnected, shattered bones reformed, and within seconds, it was as if he had never been injured.
Godou took a deep breath, his eyes shining sharply again. In his mind, the rotating plates of incantations spun at high speed, finally stopping at the Boar Incarnation.
Then, he began to chant the incantation rapidly.
"May his spine be crushed; may his bones be broken, his tendons torn, his hair ripped from his skull; may his blood, spilled over the earth, be churned into a bloody froth. I shall become one who buries fangs into the sinner's flesh, that the will of the Lord be followed: Thou shalt be purged!"
"The Boar shall ravage you! The Boar shall exterminate you!"
"This is my boast of victory over the gods, the paean of my strength!"
"This is my taunt at the gods, who are my foes!"
"This is my declaration of defiance, in order to grasp my godslaying strength!"
"Shatter her back, pull out her bones, her hair, her brains. She must receive divine punishment, for breaking the contract!"
As the incantation ended, the ground beneath Godou's feet shook violently, and in that instant, a massive divine beast in the form of a giant boar appeared above him.
The boar had a mountainous body, its skin covered in tough fur, and its tusks curved like giant spears.
"Don't die."
With a deafening roar, Godou hurled the boar toward Ren!
"GUOOOHHHHH!!!"
The boar's roar was so powerful that the clouds in the sky scattered, revealing the previously hidden blue sky.
Ren tried to defend himself, but the force of the roar was overwhelming. His body was pushed back by the shockwave, causing him to lose his balance momentarily. However, before his body could be flung further, his eyes gleamed sharply.
*SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!*
*SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!*
*SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!*
Quickly, he raised his bow and fired hundreds of energy arrows, each moving faster than the speed of sound!
The barrage of arrows was relentless, piercing through the giant boar's body repeatedly. Although the divine beast had incredible durability, the sheer volume and power of the arrows eventually overwhelmed it.
Then, the boar's form dissipated, turning back into particles of light that vanished into the air.
However—
*WHOOSH!*
Before Ren could feel any relief, a powerful punch struck his back with tremendous force!
*BAM!*
*WHOOSH!*
His body was sent flying at high speed, crashing through several trees and large boulders in its path.
"Ugh..."
Ren felt the impact of the attack reverberate through his entire body, as if all his bones had been crushed in an instant. He had just been hit by Godou, who had been empowered by the Boar Incarnation!
Godou gained increased speed, defense, and strength, but it could only be used in direct attacks.
From a distance, Godou stood with clenched fists, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
"Ren, you're not dead, are you?" He asked with concern.